2022-11-14 GC Agenda - Item 3 - Attachment 1 - Draft Eastern Beaches Foreshore Management Plan

February 2022 floods – grounded pontoons

During the February 2022 Queensland floods, an estimated 18 pontoons and docks washed out of
Brisbane River beach and grounded on Noosa’s beaches. Polystyrene is used as flotation in
pontoons, and as the outer pontoon layers broke down it was exposed to natural elements and
crumbled into small pieces that were readily spread by wind and waves. The large pieces of
pontoon were removed with large machinery. Smaller pontoon and polystyrene pieces were
removed by community individuals and groups, Council officers and contractors by hand, vacuum
and beach cleaner. Several months later, small beads scattered in very isolated pockets remain in
the dunes and on tide lines and are likely to continue to be exposed by wind and wave action,
particularly during storms. Council and community members continue to monitor and do further
cleanup as required.

A polystyrene round table in July 2022 brought State, local government and community
stakeholders together to review what happened during the pontoon beaching and cleanup from
various perspectives. Recommendations were developed during the meeting including better
pontoon construction, maintenance and identification standards, more coastal information and
hazard response capability for natural disasters dashboards and frameworks, better information
distribution and community co-ordination by Council, and better recognition of marine debris as a
pollution incident.




Eastern Beaches Foreshore Management Plan – Draft (V4 26.9.22 – for public consultation)   Page 38